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Leica M EV1: two-minute review
The Leica M EV1 concept is polarizing: strip out the optical rangefinder that Leica M cameras have been famed for for over 70 years, and replace it with an electronic viewfinder (EVF).
You’d think the whole experience of taking photos with the M EV1 would be wildly different – but in fact, for me, in many ways it isn’t.
Technically speaking, the Leica M EV1 shares many similarities with the Leica M11 / M11-P and Leica Q3 / Q3 43) – all use Leica’s 60MP full-frame sensor, which delivers the most detailed photos among full-frame cameras.
It’s like a Leica Q3 / Q3 43 premium compact but with Leica’s M mount, which felt pretty intuitive to me straight away, as I’ve used other Leica M series and Leica Q series cameras extensively.
I can see the appeal for many Leica fans already in camp M EV1 – it has useful elements of Leica’s Q series (minus autofocus, tilt screen and video recording), combined with the versatility of the Leica M mount and a wide choice of lenses. For some, that’s the best of both worlds.
On the plus side, the EVF offers focus peaking, which is an extremely useful visual aid for manual focusing; trust me, it will increase your percentage of sharp shots compared to being guided by Leica’s optical rangefinder, at least when you’re manually focusing in the moment, rather than sticking to a set focus distance as some street photographers do. You lose a little of that old school rangefinder magic, but the EVF is way more practical in my experience.
Build-wise, there’s greater similarity with the M11 – not just the M mount and interchangeable lenses, but also the control layout and fixed rear screen, although I’d rather have more Q3 attributes in the design.
For me, the Q3’s tilt screen is super-useful – I generally find myself switching between the viewfinder and rear screen, and I enjoy waist-level shooting for street photography, for which a tilt screen is hugely useful.
That meant I used the 5.76m-dot viewfinder more often with the EV1, and thankfully it works a treat. Rangefinder-style cameras like the EV1 are fairly inconspicuous too, making them ideal for street photography.
There is of course the other camp, for whom the M EV1 is the worst of both worlds, for whom the M EV1 makes less sense as a package. Sure, it costs less than the M11, but it costs more than the Q3, which is much more camera, with its built-in lens, autofocus, tilt screen and video recording. It’s a natural comparison when you take the optical rangefinder out of the equation.
The M EV1 makes sense in some ways, especially if you already own multiple Leica lenses, but if you’re starting out, or generally shoot with one or two lenses, it doesn’t.
Nuts and bolts, the M EV1 makes less sense when I talk about it. However, I have to go with my gut, having used the camera extensively with the Leica 35mm f1.4 Summilux-M Asph lens for a week. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Yes, it feels slightly less organic than the M11, but if you don’t mind an EVF then the EV1 feels like the new Leica M camera to go for.
Leica M EV1: price and release date
- Costs $8,995 / £6,840 / AU$13,990 for the body only
- Additional leatherette hand grip costs $460 / £340
- Available from October 23, 2025
Price-wise, the Leica M EV1 sits in between the Leica M11 and Leica Q3, which makes sense because an EVF is cheaper to manufacture than an optical rangefinder.
Ultimately, the EV1’s list price makes the Q3 / Q3 43 feel like much better value, especially if you’re not going to be swapping lenses a lot. The Q3 is much the same camera, for less, with additional features – and you get a built-in lens.
With the EV1, you’re paying for the luxury of being able to swap lenses, and every Leica lens costs in the thousands.
Personally, if I had a spare $14,000 / £12,000 for Leica camera gear, I’d rather pick up both the Leica Q3 and Leica Q3 43 over the EV1 with a lens such as the 35mm f/1.4 Summilux, which together cost the same as two Q3s.
The M EV1 is supplied with a black leather strap.
Leica M EV1: specs
|
Video |
N/A |
|
Photo |
60MP full-frame |
|
Lens mount |
Leica M |
|
Autofocus |
N/A – manual focus only |
|
Screen |
2.95-inch fixed touchscreen, 2.3m-dot |
|
Viewfinder |
5.76m-dot EVF |
|
Weight |
17oz / 484g (body, including battery) |
|
Battery |
244 shots (Leica BP-SCL7) |
Leica M EV1: Design
- Compact rangefinder design
- 5.76m-dot EVF instead of an optical rangefinder
- Modest-size 2.95-inch fixed touchscreen
Image 1 of 7
The obvious place to start when talking about the M EV1’s design is its viewfinder, which is the same 5.76m-dot EVF found in the Leica Q3. It’s also placed in the corner of the camera where the rangefinder traditionally sits, easily accessed with your right eye.
I was shooting with Leica’s 35mm f/1.4 Summilux lens for this test, often wide open at f/1.4 where depth of field is really shallow, and getting sharp manual focus is historically a challenge with Leica M cameras. This changes somewhat with the M EV1.
Focus peaking is indeed supremely helpful for this manual focus-only camera, outlining the hard edges of your subject that’s in focus – I had the camera set to red focus peaking, which in general is the color most easily seen. However, you shouldn’t totally rely on the accuracy of focus peaking, especially with a shallow depth of field.
Focus magnification gives you a closer look, making it much easier to make fine adjustments and ensure sharp focusing where it matters, assuming you have time to use it. My ratio of in-focus shots has been much higher using the M EV1 than I would expect with a camera like the M11.
As a rangefinder-style camera, the EV1 is really compact, plus the shutter action is dampened for minimal vibration and noise, making for discreet picture taking.
The 2.95-inch rear screen feels a little on the small side, and being fixed it’s less useful that a moveable screen, say a tilt or vari-angle type. The quality and feel of the display is top-drawer, though – with 2.3m dots it’s packed with detail, and touch response feels smooth.
With the screen being less useful than I would like – I prefer the Q3’s tilt screen – I leaned more into using the viewfinder, which is a lovely experience, even if traditionalists will turn their nose up at such a digital display. Sure, you lose a little of the rangefinder magic, but the EV1 is a more practical not just for focusing but also composition.
Image 1 of 6
Like all high-end Leica M cameras, the EV1 is made in Germany and the body is fully metal – both aluminum and magnesium, with a leatherette finish. This is a classy bit of gear.
The style, profile and control layout of the EV1 are largely familiar – this feels like an M11, save for the omission of an ISO dial (which is a real shame) and of course that new type of viewfinder. I’m a fan of minimalist design, and thoroughly enjoyed shooting with the EV1.
Leica M EV1: Performance
- Manual focus only
- Poor battery life
- Content credentials included
- 4.5fps for up to 15 RAWs
Battery life, I must say, is pretty poor by today’s standards, rated up to 244 shots. It’s little wonder given that the camera uses Leica’s BP-SCL7 battery with its modest 1,800mAh capacity.
Still, the M EV1 isn’t the kind of high-speed photography and video-making heavyweight with which users would quickly drain a battery. The photography process here is slow and considered, and as such I typically got through a whole day without needing to charge the battery (which is done via the USB-C port on the underside of the camera).
Burst-shooting top speeds are a modest 4.5fps. The buffer memory is rated to 3GB, which means you can shoot 15 full-size raw files or 100 JPEGs at that top speed before the camera slows up, assuming you’re using a high-speed UHS-II SD card. Put simply, this is no high-speed shooter.
Image 1 of 2
Following the Leica M11-P, the EV1 is equipped with content credentials, which is the most widely adopted industry standard for authenticating the origin of digital images. It does so through a secure digital label, holding details such as names, dates, and any edits made to an image’s metadata.
GPS geotagging data can also be added to images via the Leica Fotos app, which is available on the Apple store and Google Play store for iPhone and Android devices. It’s also possible to wirelessly transfer images to your device from the M EV1 through the app, as well as remotely control the camera.
I tested the EV1 before its official launch, which meant that it wasn’t registered on the Leica Fotos app. However, I have plenty of experience with the app, such as with the screen-less M11-D, and it’s one of the more reliable and pain-free app experiences from leading camera brands.
- Performance score: 3.5 / 5
Leica M EV1: Image quality
- Same 60MP sensor as the M11 and Q3, with digital crops
- Manual focus only
- No video recording
If you want a detail-rich full-frame camera there are none better than those that use this 60MP sensor, as Leica’s current crop of M cameras do, along with the Sony A7R V.
Leica offers two digital crop modes: 1.3x and 1.8x, with a reduced 36MP and 18MP resolution respectively. With the 35mm lens I had for this review, those crops give a perspective equivalent to 45mm and 63mm lenses.
Image 1 of 10
The ISO sensitivity range starts at ISO 64 and tops out at ISO 50,000, so images taken in good light with the base ISO are particularly clean and crisp.
Leica uses the widely adopted DNG raw format, with a 14-bit output and a limited number of color profiles to choose from – I mainly stuck to standard profile, and made color edits to raw files afterwards.
Image 1 of 10
Sticking with the Leica M ethos, the EV1 doesn’t shoot video at all. For video recording with a Leica, you’ll need to look to the Leica Q series.
Would it have harmed Leica’s reputation to add video recording to an M mount camera for the first time, in the same swoop as an EVF? No! I think the same video recording skills as a Q3 series camera could have been an excellent string to the M EV1’s bow.
To conclude, assuming you nail focusing and are using one of Leica’s high-quality M mount lenses, then photo quality is top drawer.
- Image quality score: 4.5 / 5
Leica M EV1: testing scorecard
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
Price |
Less than an M11 bur pricier than the Q3, the M EV1’s price was predictable |
3.5/5 |
|
Design |
All the premium hallmarks of Leica M, but with one new bold design change that makes sense for some |
4/5 |
|
Performance |
The EVF has a hit on battery life, while burst shooting speeds are slow |
3.5/5 |
|
Image quality |
There’s no better full-frame sensor for outright image quality (backed up with Leica glass), but video recording is absent |
4.5/5 |
Should I buy the Leica M EV1?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Leica M EV1: also consider
How I tested the Leica M EV1
- Leica loaned me the M EV1 for a week ahead of its launch
- I had one lens to test it with – the Leica 35mm f1.4 Summilux-M Asph
- I’ve used the M EV1 as an everyday camera, documenting the world around me
My experience with the Leica M EV1 was wonderfully simple. I had it close to hand for a whole week ahead of the global announcement, with the Leica 35mm f1.4 Summilux-M Asph lens attached to it the whole time.
I’m a fan of this lens for reportage photography, and naturally found myself documenting the world around me, mostly making use of the EVF and focus peaking to manually focus.
Of course, there’s a decent range of Leica M lenses to choose from, making the most of the M EV1’s design advantages over the Leica Q3 premium compact with its fixed lens.
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